Engineers are advised to constantly refactor code, cleaning it up for ease of understanding and maintenance.
Refactoring existing code without altering functionality can lead to easier maintenance and reduced technical debt.
Despite time constraints, integrating refactoring into the workflow can pay off by improving code quality and reducing technical debt.
By incorporating small refactorings into daily work, engineers can gradually improve code quality over time.
Having a vision for the codebase helps engineers identify areas for refactoring and improvement.
Refactoring can be as simple as making small changes like extracting methods or improving code structure.
Various common refactoring themes include removing duplication, improving testability, and preparing for architecture changes.
Refactoring should ideally be accompanied by testing to ensure code quality and avoid regressions.
While mixing refactoring with regular feature development can complicate code reviews, small, related refactoring changes can be included in pull requests.
Making consistent small improvements in code with each commit can prevent accumulation of technical debt and make future changes easier.